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16 October 2006
Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, today marked the start of National Giving Week by announcing plans to establish a new centre of excellence to lead research into philanthropy and charitable giving.
The Centre is being created by the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) in the Cabinet Office, in partnership with the Carnegie UK Trust, the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Scottish Executive (SE).
Initial funding from all four partners totals at least £2m. The OTS will invest £750,000 to set up the centre, the Carnegie UK Trust will invest at least £250,000 between now and 2011, the SE will put in £25,000 a year for three years, and ESRC will match fund these contributions. All are working together to interest more partners in coming on board.
Ed Miliband said:
“We live in a society where many people give. Between three–fifths and three–quarters of us regularly give to charity, donating over £8billion a year. But we still know far too little about how people cab best be motivated to give and why they choose to give in one way rather than another.
“High quality research and development is an essential component for the success of the third sector. If more people made use of the generous tax breaks available, this alone could boost charities' income by up to £600m.”
Scotland's Minister for Communities Malcolm Chisholm said:
“Fundraising is the lifeblood of the charitable sector, and charities rely on public donations. Scotland has a strong tradition of philanthropy and the Scottish public always gives generously to charities and good causes.
“I am therefore pleased that the Executive has been able to support the new centre of excellence. This will help inform future policy and thinking in this area, helping to ensure that people continue to give and charities continue to benefit from donations.”
The creation of a centre of excellence was a key recommendation of the Government's charitable giving strategy, A Generous Society, published in November 2005.
Charlie McConnell, Chief Executive of the Carnegie UK Trust, said:
“The Trust is delighted to be collaborating with the Office of the Third Sector and the ESRC. Our report Stepping Up The Stairs last year concluded that there was an urgent need for a research centre that would help foundations and philanthropists become more effective in their pursuit of social justice.”
Ian Diamond, Chief Executive and Deputy Chair of the ESRC, added:
“The ESRC has a long tradition of providing high quality research which meets the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. This centre will be relevant to key research challenges identified by the Council. We look forward to working with Carnegie UK Trust and the Cabinet Office to introduce a centre for charitable giving and philanthropy.”
Welcoming the announcement, the Chief Executive of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, Stuart Etherington, said:
“This is a step forward for research and I am pleased that a centre specifically for charitable giving is being developed”
David Emerson, Chief Executive of the Association of Charitable Foundations, added:
“The centre will undoubtedly contribute to developing the existing evidence base, for which there is an increasingly pressing need.”
Salvatore LaSpada, Chief Executive of Institute for Philanthropy also said:
“The Institute for Philanthropy has long advocated for an increase in funding for fundamental, academically rigorous research and we are delighted that the new centre will begin to address this gap.”